On Christmas evenin, 1909, in a quaint Midwestern toun, Jim Dear gies his wife Darling an American Cocker Spaniel puppy whom she names Lady. Lady enjoys a joyful life wi the couple an befriends twa local neighborhood dugs, Jock, a Scottish terrier, an Trusty, a bloodhound. Meanwhile, across toun, a stray mutt cried the Tramp lives on his ain, dinin on scraps frae Tony's Italian restaurant an protectin his fellow strays Peg (a Pekingese) an Bull (a bulldog) frae the local dogcatcher. Ane day, Lady is saddened efter her owners begin treatin her rather coldly. Jock an Trusty veesit her an determine that thair chynge in behaviour is due tae Darling expectin a baby. While Jock an Trusty try tae expleen what a baby is, Tramp interrupts the conversation an offers his ain thoughts on the matter, makin Jock and Trusty tak an immediate dislike tae the stray an order him oot o the yard. As Tramp leaves, he reminds Lady that "when a baby moves in, a dog moves out."

Eventually, the baby arrives an the couple introduces Lady tae the infant, o whom Lady becomes very fond an protective. Suin efter, Jim Dear an Darling leave for a trip, wi thair Aunt Sarah leukin efter the baby an the hoose. Aunt Sarah's two trouble-makin Siamese cats, Si an Am, deliberately mess up the hoose, knowin Lady will get in trouble for it, an then get her in even mair trouble bi trickin Aunt Sarah intae thinkin that Lady attacked them. Aunt Sarah then taks Lady tae a pet shop tae get a muzzle. Terrified, Lady flees, anly tae be pursued bi a trio o stray dugs. Tramp rescues her, fightin off the vicious strays, an finds a beaver at the local zoo who can remove the muzzle. Later, Tramp shows Lady how he lives "footloose and collar-free", eventually leadin intae a candlelit dinner at Tony's. Lady begins tae faw in luve wi Tramp, but she chooses tae return home in order tae watch ower the baby. Tramp offers tae escort Lady back home, but when Tramp decides tae chase hens aroond a farmyard for fun, Lady is captured bi the dog catcher an brought tae the local dog pound. While at the pound, the ither dogs reveal tae Lady that Tramp has haed multiple girlfriends in the past, an thay feel it is unlikely that he will ever settle doun. Lady is eventually claimed bi Aunt Sarah, who chains her in the backyard as punishment for runnin away.

Jock an Trusty veesit tae comfort Lady, but when Tramp arrives tae apologize, Lady angrily lashes out at him aboot his past girlfriends an failure tae rescue her frae the pound. Tramp sadly leaves, but immediately thereafter a rat sneaks intae the hoose. Lady sees the rat an barks frantically at it, but Aunt Sarah tells her tae be quiet. Tramp hears her barkin an rushes back, enterin the hoose an cornerin the rat in the nursery. Lady breaks free an rushes tae the nursery, whaur Tramp inadvertently knocks ower the baby's crib afore ultimately killin the rat. The commotion alerts Aunt Sarah, wha thinks thay harmed the baby. She pushes Tramp in a closet an locks Lady in the basement, then calls the pound tae tak Tramp away. Jim Dear an Darling return home as the dug catcher departs, an when thay release Lady, she leads them tae the deid rat. Overhearin everythin, Jock an Trusty chase efter the dug catcher's wagon. The dugs are able tae track doun the wagon an scare the horses, causin the wagon tae crash. Jim Dear arrives in a taxi wi Lady, wha reunites wi Tramp, but Trusty is injured bi the wagon.

That Christmas, Tramp haes been adoptit intae the faimily, an he an Lady hae stairtit thair ain faimily, wi Lady havin gien birth tae a litter o fower puppies (three daughters who leuk identical tae Lady an ane son who looks identical tae Tramp). Jock comes tae see the faimily alang wi Trusty, who is recovered an merely suffered a broken leg, an are formally welcomed as guests by the humans. Thanks tae the puppies, Trusty haes a fresh audience for his auld stories, but he haes forgotten them.

Larry Roberts as Tramp, a mutt o apparent Terrier ancestry, wi a knack for dodgin dog-catchers. He calls Lady "Pidge", short for Pigeon, which he calls her due tae her naivety. He never refers tae himself bi name, although most o the film's canine cast refer tae him as the Tramp. It is nae until the sequel in which any humans call him Tramp, an it is never explained why thay "name" him wi the very name he wis kent bi on the streets. Tramp haed ither names in the film, an when asked bi Lady aboot having a faimily, Tramp states that he haes, "One for every day of the week. Point is, none of them have me." Each faimily mentioned cried him a different name (sic as Mike or Fritzi). The faimilies an aa haed different nationalities (sic as Erse or German). As he did nae belong tae a single faimily, Tramp implied that it wis easier than the baby problems Lady wis goin throu at the time.

Bill Baucom as Trusty, a bloodhound who used tae track criminals wi his Grandpappy, Old Reliable, until he lost his sense o smell.

Verna Felton as Aunt Sarah, Jim Dear's aunt (revealed tae be the sister o Jim Dear's mither in the Greene novelization o the film) who comes tae tak care o the baby when Jim Dear an Darling leave for a few days. She is a well-meanin busybody o a maiden aunt who adores her Siamese cats, but does not believe that dugs should be around babies. She blames baith Lady an Tramp for the baby's crib bein knocked over, not knowin that thay war actually protectin the baby frae a vicious rat. Houiver, she sends a box o dog biscuits for Christmas in the final scene o the film in a presumed attempt tae make amends for her mistreatment o the twa dugs.

Peggy Lee as Darling, the mitherly human figure an Jim Dear's wife. Lee an aa voiced Si an Am, Aunt's Sarah's twin Siamese cats wi a knack for mischief an never-ending trouble; an Peg, a stray female Pekingese whom Lady meets at the pound (alang wi the ither dog inmates she wis put in a cage wi). The names o Si an Am are a play on the country o Siam. It is implied that Peg haed a relationship wi Tramp in the past, throu the lyrics o the sang she sings (He's a Tramp). Peg wis formerly frae the "Dog and Pony Follies" (dog and pony show); either the show ended or she wis left behind. Peg haes a Brooklyn Accent.

Stan Freberg as the beaver, a clever, hard-working beaver at the zoo who speaks wi a lisp. He gnaws off the muzzle that Aunt Sarah haed placed upon Lady efter Tramp realizes that the muzzle is juist what the beaver needs for pullin logs. This character wad later serve as the inspiration for Gopher frae Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), doun tae the speech pattern (a whistlin sound when he makes the "S" sound). Stan Freberg, who voiced the beaver in the film, haed an extensive background in commercial an comedy recordin voice overs an soundtracks. On the 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD he demonstrates how it wis done an that a whistle wis eventually used acause it wis hard tae continue repeatin the effect.

In 1937, Disney story man Joe Grant came up wi an idea inspired bi the antics o his English Springer Spaniel Lady, an how she got "shoved aside" bi Joe's new baby. He approached Walt Disney wi sketches o Lady. Disney enjoyed the sketches an commissioned Grant tae stairt story development on a new animatit featur teetled Lady.[4] Throu the late 1930s an early 1940s, Joe Grant an ither artists worked on the story, takkin a variety o approaches, but Disney wisna pleased wi ony o them, primarily acause he thocht Lady wis too sweet, an thare wisna enough action.[4]

Walt Disney read the short story written bi Ward Greene, "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog", in Cosmopolitan, published in 1945.[5][6] He thocht that Grant's story wad be improved if Lady fell in luve wi a cynical dog character lik the ane in Greene's story, an bought the rights tae it.[7] The cynical dog haed various names during development, includin Homer, Rags, an Bozo, afore "Tramp" wis chosen.[5]

The finished film is slichtly different frae what wis oreeginally planned. Lady wis tae hae anly ane next-door neighbor, a Ralph Bellamy-teep canine named Hubert. Hubert wis later replaced wi Jock an Trusty. Aunt Sarah wis the traditional overbearing mither-in-law. In the final film, she is softened tae a busybody who, though antagonistic towards Lady an Tramp, is well-meanin (she sends a packet o dug biscuits tae the dugs at Christmas tae apologize for mistreatin them). Aunt Sarah's Nip an Tuck war later renamed Si an Am.[5] Oreeginally, Lady's owners war cried Jim Brown an Elizabeth. Thir war changed tae hielicht Lady's pynt o view. Thay war briefly referred tae as "Mister" an "Missis" afore settling on the names "Jim Dear" an "Darling". Tae maintain a dog's perspective, Darling an Jim's faces are rarely shawn, seemilar tae Mammy Two Shoes in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. The rat wis a somewhat comic character in early sketches, but became a great deal mair frightening, due tae the need tae raise dramatic tension. A scene creautit but then deleted wis ane in which efter Trusty says "Everybody knows, a dog's best friend is his human", Tramp describes a warld in which the roles of baith dogs an humans are switched; the dugs are the masters an vice versa.[4] Thare wis a luve triangle amang Lady, Tramp, an a Russian wolfhound named Boris (who appears in the dog pound in the final version).[8]

The film's openin sequence, in which Darling unwraps a hat box on Christmas morning an finds Lady inside, is inspired bi an incident when Walt Disney presented his wife Lily wi a Chow puppy as a gift in a hat box tae mak up for having previously forgotten a dinner date wi her.[9]

In 1949, Grant left the studio, yet Disney story men war continually pulling Grant's oreeginal drawings an story off the shelf tae retool.[4] A solit story began takkin shape in 1953,[7] based on Grant's storyboards an Greene's short story.[4] Greene later wrote a novelization o the film that wis released two years afore the film itself, at Walt Disney's insistence, sae that audiences wad be familiar wi the story.[10] Grant did nae receive film credit for his story work, an issue that animation director Eric Goldberg hoped tae rectify in the Lady and the Tramp Platinum Edition's behind-the-scenes vignette that explained Grant's role.[4]

Sangster Peggy Lee nae anly voiced four chairacters but co-wrote six sangs for the film.[11]

As thay haed done wi deer on Bambi, the animators studied mony dugs o different breeds tae captur the movement an personality o dogs. Awtho the spaghetti eatin sequence is probably nou the best kent scene frae the film, Walt Disney wis prepared tae cut it, thinkin that it wad nae be romantic an that dogs eatin spaghetti wad leuk silly. Animator Frank Thomas wis against Walt's decision and animatit the entire scene himself wioot ony lay-outs. Walt wis impressed bi Thomas's work an how he romanticized the scene an kept the scene in.[4] On viewing the first tak o the scene, the animators felt that the action should be slowed doun, sae an apprentice trainee wis assigned tae creaut "half numbers" in atween mony o the oreeginal frames.[12]

Oreeginally, the background airtist wis supposed tae be Mary Blair an she did some inspirational sketches for the film. Houiver, she left the studio tae acome a childer's beuk illustrator in 1953. Claude Coats wis then appyntit as the key background airtist. Coats made models o the interiors o Jim Dear an Darling's hoose, an shot photos an film at a law perspective as reference tae maintain a dug's view.[10] Eyvind Earle (who later became the airt director o Disney's Sleeping Beauty) did awmaist 50 miniature concept sketches for the Bella Notte sequence an wis a key contributor tae the film.[10]

Lady and the Tramp wis oreeginally released tae theaters on Juin 22, 1955. An episode o Disneyland cried "A Story of Dogs" aired afore the film's release.[14] The film wis an aa reissued tae theaters in 1962, 1972, 1980, an 1986. Lady and the Tramp an aa played a leemitit engagement in select Cinemark Theatres frae Februar 16–18, 2013.[15]

Lady and the Tramp wis first released on North American VHS an Laserdisc in 1987 as pairt o the Walt Disney Classics video series an in the United Kingdom in 1990. At the end o its initial home video release, it wis reported tae have sauld more than three million copies acomin the best-sellin videocassette at the time.[16] It went intae moratorium on March 31, 1988.[17] It was released on VHS in 1998 as pairt o the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection video series. A Disney Limited Issue series DVD o the film wis released on November 23, 1999 for a leemitit sixty-day time period.[18]

Efter the first release on video tapes, Peggy Lee socht performance an song royalties on the video sales. Disney CEO Michael Eisner refused, thus she filed suit in 1988. Eventually in 1992, the California Court of Appeals order Disney tae pay Lee $3.2 million in compensation or about a 4% on the video sales.[11]

Lady and the Tramp wis remastered an restored for DVD on Februar 28, 2006, as the seivent installment o Disney's Platinum Editions series.[19] On its first day, ane million copies o the Platinum Edition war sauld.[20] The Platinum Edition DVD went on moratorium on Januar 31, 2007, alang wi the 2006 DVD re-issue of the film's sequel Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure.[21]

Lady and the Tramp wis released on Blu-ray on Februar 7, 2012 as a pairt of Disney's Diamond Editions series.[22] A standalone 1-disc DVD edition wis released on Mairch 20, 2012.[23][24]

During its initial release, the film wis initially panned bi critics.[26]Bosley Crowther o The New York Times claimed the film wis "not the best [Disney] has done in this line. The sentimentality is mighty, and the CinemaScope size does not make for any less aware of the thickness of the goo. It also magnifies the animation, so that the flaws and poor foreshortening are more plain. Unfortunately, and surprisingly, the artists' work is below par in this film."[27]Time wrote "Walt Disney has for so long parlayed gooey sentiment and stark horror into profitable cartoons that most moviegoers are apt to be more surprised than disappointed to discover that the combination somehow does not work this time."[28] Houiver, Variety deemed the film "a delight for the juveniles and a joy for adults".[29]

Houiver, the film haes syne gone on tae acome regarded as a classic. Dave Kehr, writin for The Chicago Tribune gave the film four stars.[30] Animation historian Charles Solomon praised the film.[31] The sequence o Lady an Tramp sharin a plate o spaghetti — climaxed bi an accidental kiss as thay swallow opposite ends o the same strand o spaghetti — is considered an iconic scene in American film history.[32] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that the film received a 93% approval rating, wi an average ratin of 7.92/10, based on 41 reviews. The website's consensus states, "A nostalgic charmer, Lady and the Tramp's token sweetness is mighty but the songs and richly colored animation are technically superb and make for a memorable experience."[33]

Lady and the Tramp wis named nummer 95 oot o the "100 Greatest Love Stories of All Time" bi the American Film Institute in thair 100 Years...100 Passions special, as ane of anly two animatit films tae appear on the leet, alang wi Disney's Beauty and the Beast which ranked 34th.[34] In 2010, Rhapsody cried its accompanying soundtrack ane o the aw-time great Disney & Pixar soundtracks.[35] In Juin 2011, TIME named it ane o "The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films".[36]

In its initial release, the film teuk in a higher figure than ony ither Disney animatit featur syne Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,[37] earning an estimated $6.5 million in domestic box office rentals.[38]

The score for the film wis componed an conducted bi Oliver Wallace. It wis the last Disney animatit film for which Oliver Wallace did the score, as the scores for the next six Disney animatit films war componed bi George Bruns. Recordin airtist Peggy Lee wrote the sangs wi Sonny Burke an assisted wi the score as well.[5] In the film, she sings "La La Lu", "The Siamese Cat Song", an "He's a Tramp".[48] She helped promote the film on the Disney TV series, expleenin her work wi the score an singin a few o the film's nummers.[5] Thir appearances are available as pairt o the Lady and the Tramp Platinum Edition DVD set.

On November 16, 1988, Peggy Lee sued the Walt Disney Company for breach o contract, claimin that she retained the rights tae transcriptions o the music, arguin that videotape editions war transcriptions.[49] Efter a protracted legal battle, she wis awairdit $2.3 million in 1991.[50]

The remastered soundtrack o Lady and the Tramp wis released on CD bi Walt Disney Records on September 9, 1997, an wis released as a digital download on September 26, 2006.[51]

On Februar 27, 2001, Disney Television Animation released a direct-tae-video sequel tae the film teetled Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure. Produced 46 years efter its predecessor an set twa years an a few months efter the events o the first film, it centers on the adventures o Lady an Tramp's anly son, Scamp, who desires tae be a wild dog. He runs away frae his faimily an joins a gang o junkyard dugs tae fulfill his longin for freedom an a life wioot rules. Reviews for the sequel war generally mixed tae negative, wi critics pannin its plot.